Electrically-propelled vehicle.



No. 680,804. Patented-Aug. 20, 190:.

F. J; NEWMAN & J. LEDWINKA.

ELECTRICALLY PROPELLED VEHICLE.

(Application filed Jun. 18, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shget Fig. 7.

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No. 680,804. Patented A'ug. 20,19DI. F. J. NEWMAN &. J. LEDWINKA.

ELECTRICALLY PROPELLED'VEHIOLE.

(Application filed Jan. 18. 1901.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFECE.

FREDERICK J. NEWMAN AND JOSEPH LEDW'INKA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNORS TO THE HUB MOTOR COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRlCALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLE.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,804, dated August20, 1901.

Application filed January 18, 1901. Serial No. 48,716. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it natty concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERICK J. NEW- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and J0- SEPH LEDWINKA, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria-Hungary, both residents of Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement inElectrically-Propelled Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to electrically-propelled vehicles, and hasspecial reference to such vehicles as are intended to operate upon roadsand streets without the provision of supporting and guiding rails,though not necessarily limited thereto.

Our invention has for its objects to'provide means whereby a propellingelectric motor and its power-transmitting gearing may be so embodied ina vehicle-wheel hub as to be socurely housed without materiallymodifying the appearance of the wheel, to reduce the friction incidentto the operation of the mechanism, to remove the weight of the motorfrom the axle, to simplify and improve the transmitting-gearing, and toso construct and combine the parts that the wheel and its drivingmechanism may be removed from the axle as a unit.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which our inventionpertains to make and use the same, we will now proceed to describe itwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is acentral sectional view of a wheel-hub embodying one form of ourinvention. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating amodified form of power-transmitting gearing.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 1, the axle 1 is provided with anannular flange 2, beyond which projects the cylindrical portion 3 of theaxle, which is surrounded by the hub 4: of a supporting-wheel, a portiononly of which is shown. The portion 3 of the axle is provided adjacentto the flange 2 with one or more lugs or ribs 5,'four of these devicesbeing indicated in the drawings, thougha single one, if of proper formand dimensions, will generally be suflicient, and any other number maybe employed, if desired. A col lar 6 is provided with key ways or slotsto receive the lugs 5, so as to lock it securely to the axle, but at thesame time permit of its ready removal longitudinally. Any other suitablemeans may of course be employed for removably locking the collar 6against rotation. The collar abuts against the flange 2 and is providedat one side with a bracket 7, having a stub-shaft 8, on which isjournaled a gear-wheel 9, ball-bearings 10 being interposed between thegear-wheel and the shaft. Fitted over the cylindrical portion 3 of theaxle is a sleeve 11, which hasa screwthreaded engagement with the collar6 and is held upon the axle by means of a suitable locking device, hereshown as a bolt 12, screwed into a socket in the end of the axle andhaving a head of greater diameter than end of the hub is closed by meansof a stationary plate 19, which is fastened to the flange 2, and a ring20, of felt or other suitable material, which is interposed between theedge of the plate 19 and the projecting end of the part 16 in order toexclude dirt, moisture, &c., from the interior of the hub. The portion13 of the hub constitutes the frame or ringof the field-magnet of themotor and is provided with inwardlyprojecting polepieces 21, on whichare mounted the field-magnet coils 22. The portion 13 of the hub is alsoshown as provided with an annular rack or internal gear 23, with whichthe gear-wheel 9 meshes. The hub-shell is provided at its inner end withball-bearings 24 and at its outerend with similar ball-bearings 25, sothat it may be rotated with the minimum amount of friction.

The motor-armature 26 and the commutator-drum 27 are mounted upon ahollow shaft or sleeve 28, which is supported in the hub independentlyof the axle by means of ballbearings 29 and 30 at its respective ends.The hollow shaft or sleeve 28 is also provided with a pinion 31, thatmeshes with the gear-wheel 9, so as to act through said gear-wheel andthe internal gear or rack 23 to drive the hub and its wheel.

The plate 19 is provided with four contactrings 32, to which areconnected the conductors 33 for supplying electrical energy to themotor. Suitable brushes 34 are mounted in the hub in position to engagewith the respective rings 32, these brushes being properly connected bysuitable conductors (not shown) to the terminals of the field-magnetwinding and the commutator-brushes 34, so as to supply current to boththe field-magnet and the ari'nature-windings and to effect a reversal ofthe motor when desired. It will be understood that the circuitconnections of the armature and field-magnet windings may be made suchwith reference to each other and to the source of energy as, theconditions of operation may render desirable.

It will be further understood that any suitable source of current may beemployed for supplying energy to the motor and that the number of motorsemployed for driving the vehicle may also be varied to suit the desiresof the designer or builder and the service to be performed by thevehicle. In the case of vehicles having four wheels it will usually befound desirable to employ either two or four motors; but one, two, orthree motors may be satisfactorily employed for driving a threewheeledvehicle.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the several parts of the hub 4 and the motorembodied therein are substantially the same, except for slightvariations in form, as the corresponding parts shown in Fig. 1 andalready described, and since the same reference-numerals are hereemployed the description heretofore given may be read in connection withthis figure, except as regards the gearing for transmitting motion fromthe armature to the hubshell.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 2 we employ a non-rotatablegear-wheel 35, the hub 36 of which is provided with a key way or slot37. The portion 3 of the axle 1 that is surrounded by the hub 36 is alsoprovided with a corresponding key way or slot 38, and the gear-wheel issecurely fastened against rotation by means of a key 39, which is driveninto one of the keyways and makes a removable engagement with the other.Any other suitable means may obviously be employed for making anon-rotative but longitudinally-removable connection between thegear-wheel 3'6 and the axle 3. The hollow shaft or sleeve 28 is providedwith apinion 31, the same as in theform shown in Fig. 1; but the meansfor transmitting the power from this pinion to the hubshell comprises ashaft 40, which is mounted in ball-bearings 41 and 42 and has keyed toit a gear-wheel 43 and a pinion 44, the gear-wheel being of suchdimensions andso located as to mesh with the pinion 31 and the pinion 44being of such dimensions and so located as to mesh with the nonrotatablegear-wheel 35. It will be readily seen from this construction that asthe pinion 31 is rotated by the armature it will cause the gear-wheel 43and pinion 44 to rotate in the opposite direction, and since the gear-Wheel 35 is held against rotation the pinion 44 will revolve around thenon-rotatable gearwheel and carry the hub with it. This arrangement ofgearing is advantageous by reason of the fact that it leaves ample spacefor the conductors 45 leading to the motor fieldmagnet coils and thecommutator -brushes 34. In this modification of the invention as well asin that shown in Fig. 1 it will be seen that all of the parts of themotor and power-transmitting gearing are supported by the hubindependently of the axle and that they are so connected by means of thesleeve 11 that by removing the cap 18 and bolt 12 the wheel, hub, andcontained mechanism may all be removed as a unit and without disturbingor disarranging the component parts of the structure. It will be alsounderstood that the motor may be utilized without the employment ofgearing by so supporting one of the members of the motor that it isnon-rotatable, and therebyinsuring direct ro= tation of the othermember, if desired.

The details of construction may obviously be varied as regards form,dimensions, and location of parts without departing from our invention,and we therefore desire it to be understood that the invention is notlimited except in so far as limitations are specified in the claims.

We claim as our invention 1. The combination with a vehicle-axle, of asupporting-wheel the hub of which embodies an electric motor, the partsof which are supported by the wheel independently of the axle,substantially as described.

2. The combination with a vehicle-axle, of a supporting-wheel having ahollow hub serving as an electric-motor field-magnet and an armaturesupported by the wheel independently of the axle, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination with a vehicle-axle, of a supporting-wheel having ahub that serves as an electric-motor field-magnet, a hollow shaftloosely mounted on the axle and having its bearings in the hub, anarmature keyed upon said hollow shaft, and means for transmitting therotary motion of the armature to the wheel, substantially as described.

4. The combination with avehiclenxle, of a supporting-wheel having a hubthat serves as an electric-motor field-magnet, a hollow shaft looselymounted on the axle and having its bearings in the hub and provided witha gearpinion, an armature mounted on said hollow shaft, and gearingbetween said gear-pinion and the hub, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a vehicle-axle, of a sleeve removably located onthe axle, and a 10 motor and surrounds said sleeve, means on the freeend of the axle for holding the hub and its parts in place, a hollowshaft surrounding the sleeve and having its bearings in the hub, andhaving the motor fastened I5 thereon, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a vehicle-axle, of a sleeve located on andfastened to the axle but longitudinally removable therefrom, a wheelhaving a hub that embodies an electric motor, means on the free end ofthe axle to hold the hub and its parts in place, a hollow shaftsurrounding the sleeve and having its bearings in the hub, a gear-pinionand a motorarmature keyed to the hollow shaft and gearing between thegear-pinion and the hub,

substantially as described.

8. A Wheel for an electrically propelled vehicle having a hub thatembodies an electric motor, all the parts of which are supported withinand by the hub structure.

9. A wheel for an electricallypropelled vehicle having a hub thatembodies an electric motor and a portion of the shell of whichconstitutes the field-magnet frame or ring,

all the other parts of the motor being contained within and supported bysaid shell.

10. A vehicle-Wheel having a hub that embodies an electric motor andgearing between the armature and field-magnet thereof, a portion of thehubshell constituting the field- -magnet frame or ring and all of theother parts being inclosed in and supported by said shell.

11. A vehicle-Wheel hub comprising a shell the spoke-supporting part ofwhich constitutes an electric-motor field-magnet frame or ring, incombination with field-magnet polepieces and coils, an armature andcommutator and gearing between the armature and the hub-shell, all ofsaid parts being inclosed in and supported by said hub-shell.

12. A vehicle-wheel hub embodying an ,electric motor, the field-magnetframe of which is the spoke-supporting part of the hubshell and theother parts of which are all inclosed in and supported by the hub-shell.

13. The combination with a vehicle-axle, of a hub-shell embodying anelectric-motor armature, the hub-shell and said gear-wheel. V

14:. The combination with a vehicle-axle, of a hub-shell embodying anelectric-motor field-magnet, an armature rotatably mounted in thehub-shell, a stationary gear-wheel removably supported on the axle,gearing be tween said Wheel and the hub-shell and armature and means forconnecting the hubshell and the parts supported therein so that they areremovable from the axle as a unit.

15. The combination with a vehicle-axle, of a wheel-hub shell embodyingan electricmotor field-magnet, an armature rotatably mounted in saidhub-shell, a pinion rigidly connected to the armature, a stationarygear- Wheel and a gear-wheel and pinion journaled in the hub-shell andrespectively meshing with the armature-pinion and the stationarygear-wheel.

16. The combination with a vehicle-axle, of a wheel provided with ahub-shell which embodies an electric-motor field-magnet, a shaftjournaled in said shell and provided with a gear-wheel and a pinion, agear-wheel keyed to the axle in position to mesh with said pinion and anarmature surrounding the axle but supported by the hub and provided witha driving-pinion that meshes with the rotating gear-wheel.

17. Avehicle-wheel hub having an electricmotor field-magnet and anarmature, in combination with an armature-driven pinion, a stationary gear-wheel and intermediate gears that have movements of both rotation andrevolution whereby the field-magnet and armature rotate in oppositedirections.

18. Avehicle wheel hub having an electricmotor field-magnet and anarmature in combination with an armature-driven pinion, a stationarygear-wheel, intermediate gears respectively in mesh with said pinion andsaid stationary gear-wheel and means for connecting all of said parts sothat they may be mounted upon and removed from an axle as a unit.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names this 15th dayof January, 1901.

FREDERICK J. NEVMAN. JOSEPH LEDWINKA.

Witnesses:

JAMns B. YOUNG, WESLEY G. CARR.

